


pressed and bound

by peaktotheocean



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood Friends, Episode: s01e05 Bottled Appetites, Flowers, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Mentions of Blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-19 05:02:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29621022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peaktotheocean/pseuds/peaktotheocean
Summary: Yennefer looked down at the cushioned seat where a Witcher had just dumped Julek in the middle of her orgy.It had to be Julek. It had been years since they had been children together but he looked the same, if a little stretched. Certainly she hadn't expected blood to be caked at his throat. But Yennefer would fix that soon enough and take care of the Witcher who had no doubt caused it.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Hinted, Jaskier | Dandelion & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 15
Kudos: 327
Collections: The Witcher Flash Fic Challenge #016





	pressed and bound

Yennefer looked down at the cushioned seat where a Witcher had just dumped Julek in the middle of her orgy. 

It had to be Julek. It had been years since they had been children together but he looked the same, if a little stretched. Certainly she hadn't expected blood to be caked at his throat. But Yennefer would fix that soon enough and take care of the Witcher who had no doubt caused it.

Slowly, everyone around her stopped pleasuring each other. Fingers stilled, moans cut off, all in favor of looking towards the middle of the room. They were all glaring at the Witcher with magicked purple eyes. Yennefer's eyes. She couldn't help it. She was furious.

“What have you done to him?” She hissed, striding forward. She felt her powers snapping back towards her, leaving the crowd to their own volitions again. The murmurs and confusion didn't phase her. 

She picked Julek off on the couch as though he weighed the same the last time she had seen him.

_"Yenna?" A voice called her through the barn door._

_"Shush." She had told him. They had both gotten in trouble enough when found by anyone. Well, mischief managed to find little Julek even without Yennefer by his side._

"Where are you taking him?" The Witcher demanded, going to cut her off. Yennefer blocked his attempts and continued to stride out of the room. 

"I'm going to fix what you broke."

"I didn't--" The Witcher sputtered. "This was his fault."

Yennefer paused. She could _perhaps_ see that. There had been plenty of times where Julek had gotten himself into trouble. But many mornings that Yennefer had woken up to a boy in her barn with a black eye or...worse. The two of them had been quite a pair as children.

_"Julek. If you're going to be here, help me feed the pigs."_

_"All right." His easy agreement, Yennefer was sure, had to do with the bruise around his jaw. She couldn't stand when he stared down at the dirt floor of the barn, still somehow missing pig shit and stepping in it._

_"Here." She leaned down near the bottom hinges of the barn door. There was a small grouping of flowers down there, all clustered together, deep burgundy with white edges. Yennefer tugged Julek forward by the single pocket of his worn shirt. Tucking the flower safely into the pouch, she patted his chest, careful not to smush it. "Come, Julek."_

“He tried to make a wish from a djinn," the Witcher growled at her. He didn't go to grab Julek back. Not with the violent flames in the witch's eyes and the potential for everyone around them to still be under her thrall. 

“What were the exact words?” 

"Something about striking down some bard he knows. Marx or something."

Yennefer of Vengerberg straightened up, even with Julek in her arms and leaned forward, using all the malice in her voice to say, “No, Witcher, what were _your_ words?"

The Witcher flinched. "Mine?"

"Djinns are not stupid. If the bard had harnessed the power properly, his rival would be dead. Except he's not and you're here. So I'll ask again," she hissed, "What were _your words_?" 

The Witcher looked from her, to Julek, and then down at the ground, clearly thinking. It took him a moment before he whispered, "I asked for peace."

"Asked for peace?" Yennefer repeated.

"Demanded it," the Witcher corrected himself sullenly, looking chastised for the first time since he entered her domain.

Yennefer's eyes flared again. "That's what I thought."

  
••••••••••••••••••• 

  
The room came to Jaskier in pieces. He was on a bed. He hadn't felt such a bed like this since he had last left court. He remembered Geralt. The Djinn. There was...an orgy, perhaps? No, that couldn't be right. And maybe even-- god, what had he hallucinated?

He groaned and leaned back against the pillow. Surely there were other people on the Continent with purple eyes and gods, he couldn't think about it right now. His throat ached but at a light touch, seemed to be in one piece.

"You're awake." A voice came from his left.

"I--" He looked at her and Yennefer knew he was trying to focus on her eyes. "Yennefer?" Julek croaked in disbelief. His voice was quiet and his mouth open, bits of dried blood still trailing from the corners of his lips. "Yenna?"

"Julian," she answered, unprepared for the sob that immediately followed her response.

It came on so quickly that Jaskier choked on his own tears, his body not knowing what to do with itself. Yennefer waved her hand and he was asleep again.

  
••••••••••••••••••• 

  
"Is he...healed?"

Yennefer eyed the Witcher carefully as he stepped into her chambers. She knew who he was now. She had skimmed the surface of Julian's memories. Geralt of Rivia. The White Wolf. The Butcher...

She might have known that the famous Jaskier was her Julek, named for one of the many flowers she had given him long ago. And that he would have found a Witcher, of all people, to follow around the Continent. 

_Julek, the trouble you get into..._

The Witcher had pulled up a chair next to her own, without invitation, keeping what he probably thought was a safe distance. Yennefer couldn't disagree more. She wanted him out of her house, this city, and if possible, the kingdom. Wherever Julian wasn't, that's where the Witcher could be. 

"What does it matter to you? You still have two wishes left. Are you planning on using one to finish him off?"

Geralt growled at her, "I wouldn't have ridden all this way to beg for you to heal him if I wanted him dead. _I didn't know_. Besides. There's only wish left now," he admitted. One wish, Yennefer thought. She could work with that. Perhaps.

But then she looked back to Jaskier. It wasn't worth it. Not right now.

“All this way...” Yennefer waved towards the door. "Then fear not. You're able to ride back now from wherever you came from."

The Witcher blinked at her in surprise, his expression turning stony. "I'm not leaving without him."

Yennefer huffed. "I've already taken the liberty of sending someone to remove his bags from your horse. You're not needed here any longer."

The Witcher didn't argue with her but he didn't move either. Instead he just decided to ignore her in favor of watching Jaskier sleep.

_Interesting._

  
••••••••••••••••••• 

Jaskier came to even slower the second time, Yennefer made sure of it. His eyes fluttered open and she pressed a hand to his chest so he didn't try to sit up just yet.

She looked at him with concern. His throat looked healed but a _djinn_. Who knew what other damage that could have caused where she couldn't see it. "How are you feeling now?"

Jaskier's face fell and he seemed so much younger, which was already hard to do. "I've had a really long day, Yenna," he said quietly. He cleared his throat and looked down at his blanket-covered feet before looking back up at her. 

"Can I--" He started to ask before cutting himself off. 

His arms raised for a moment before he aborted that as well. He didn't go to move from the bed, just took in Yennefer's appearance while she realized what he wanted. What her Julek had always wanted from her.

"Yes, of course," Yennefer said quietly. She held her arms out and didn't have a second to spare before Jaskier sat up and hit her full force, wrapping his arms around her in a desperate hug that she had been missing.

"I missed you," he near weeped. This time at least, he handled himself and she didn't have to calm him with magic again. Besides, she couldn't fault him. She hadn't thought she'd see him again either. 

"You too," Yennefer said, so only Jaskier could hear her.

“So you met Geralt then," he joked, face still pressed against her neck.

Yennefer scowled. She wondered what it would take to get the Witcher to leave. “He tried to kill you.”

“You have that in common,” Jaskier said, far too brightly.

"Please." Yennefer rolled her eyes thinking of all the times Julek had startled her and by extension, her magic before she really knew what she could do with it. He had barely caught on fire then. This was completely different.

“You're the bard that's been following the Witcher around. Of course you are. And he doesn’t tire of you?” She jested.

Jaskier’s face fell only a split second before he smiled at her in near full force. “I have a process!” He said proudly.

“Jaskier.” Yennefer’s expression turned worried so quickly that the bard would have thought there was a monster behind him in the same bed. "I was only joking.”

He shook his head. “You weren’t. That's all right. Neither was I. We split up for winters and when I can see if he’s getting more annoyed than usual, I take a different path. There’s always some kind of festival or competitions in need of a bard.”

This sounded foolhardy. And just like her friend. “And if there’s nothing?”

“I lie, of course. Yes, yes, I know Witchers can smell them but he doesn’t care so long as I’m gone.”

“Jaskier.” Yennefer wasn't sure what to say to that ingrained insecurity. But Jaskier looked too pleased to see her and she didn't want to argue with him. Not yet, at least.

“Like you said. Happiness. A purpose. We’re both still working on it, right?" She couldn't resist his hopeful tone. He wanted so badly for her to leave it alone. She'd grant him that. For the time being, at least. 

_"Do you think people can be really happy, Yenna?"_

_"I'd rather a purpose first."_

_"I want both."_

_"Of course you do, Julek._

“You haven’t changed a bit,” she told him honestly. 

"You have." Jaskier was openly fishing and they both knew it. Still, he wasn't pushing which she appreciated. He sat back on the bed, content to wait and just watch her. 

"I survived," she said for now. "We both did. From now on, you'll winter with me. I insist."

A commotion at the door had Yennefer moving slightly away from Jaskier. It was only Geralt. She eyed him suspiciously but couldn't find fault in how his eyes went to Jaskier immediately.

"You're awake!" The hulk of a Witcher moved forward but in watching Yennefer's gaze, he slowed to a stop still far away from the bed.

"Have you two introduced yourselves?" Jaskier asked brightly. Either not noticing or refusing to acknowledge the tension in the room.

Geralt looked at him and then at Yennefer. "You know the witch? Of course, you know the witch."

"Her name is Yennefer," Jaskier told him, far more polite than Yennefer would have, before turning to smile at her. "We were children together."

"Oh."

"Yes, _o_ _h._ " Jaskier said, squirming a little in the bed so he could sit up properly again. "It would have be idyllic if it wasn't so traumatic for both of us," Jaskier said idly, waving Geralt to come closer to him, which he did, albeit still slowly and while cataloging Yennefer's reactions. 

"He shared his meals with me," she said simply. "I hid him in the hay."

"Sneezed something awful too after that. Oh! And you gave me flowers." Jaskier perked up as he remembered. He reached towards Geralt's side, where one of his bags hung low off of his shoulder, shifting around bottles and clothing until he found one of the few books he “let” Geralt carry around. 

"Jaskier. You're going to re-injure yourself," Geralt grumbled. "Sit back."

Yennefer recognized the journal right away. One of Julek's earliest binding experiments and the first to hold together. It looked a little worse for wear but the craftsmanship couldn't be denied. "You still have them?" 

"Of course I do." Jaskier smiled sweetly at her. "I always tried to press them as soon as I could."

He used careful fingers to undo the twine that kept that pages closed and placed it on his lap. The book fell open but none of the flowers left their spots. Jaskier smiled as he touched a single finger to one of the dark burgundy petals, still somehow holding their luster after all this time. 

Before she could second-guess herself, Yennefer reached out to squeeze his free hand, just for a moment. He showed them a few more of the pages, including dandelions as yellow as they day Yennefer plucked them before careful securing the book once again.

Geralt looked between the two of them. "But you haven't...been in contact?"

Jaskier looked to Yennefer first before answering. She gave tilted her head, giving him permission to speak. Not that he knew the full story, of course. But still, she wanted to know what he had been told, what he had thought had happened all those years ago.

"Well, my parents had shipped me off for a season or two to some kind of-- It wasn't-- well, it wasn't Oxenfurt, let's put it that way." Jaskier's face was tight. He didn't make eye contact with either of them.

Not for the first time, Yennefer wondered if she should go back anyway and burn down their whole town. She had sworn never to step foot in it again but surely this was a worthy cause. Besides, if she took the village down to the studs, no one would step foot in there again so at least she'd make sure the promise could be kept thereafter.

"Of course as soon as I came home I rushed over to Yenna's-- place." He stumbled over his wording and although Geralt caught the slip, he wasn't quite sure why. Yennefer knew though, Jaskier was trying to give her some form of decency. Not just outright tell this Witcher that she had lived in a barn. It was appreciated, though not entirely necessary. It was her past now.

"And uhh well--"

"Just say it, Julek. Speak freely," Yennefer ordered before he could continue his stuttering. There was nothing about her life with Jaskier that the Witcher could hold over her. And judging by how Geralt watched Jaskier, he wouldn't want to. Not if her Julek still had a champion pout.

She heard the Witcher's words again in her mind. _"I wouldn't have ridden all this way to beg for you to heal him if I wanted him dead."_

Geralt looked between the two of them in amazement. Yennefer could imagine this was the second time just today that he had seen the bard unable to speak, though for vastly different reasons.

Jaskier didn't notice Yennefer's examination of Geralt. His eyes were downcast again and his voice was quiet, near furious and Yennefer felt her heart beat for him like it hadn't in years. 

"Her father said that he had sold her. That I was to stop wasting his time coming around or else he'd tell my family."

"He didn't say to whom he sold me?" Yennefer asked, light, as though she was unaffected. 

"No." His head snapped up to look at her, brow furrowed. "It's why I--"

Yennefer's eyes narrowed. "It's why you what, Julek?"

"Well after Oxenfurt, during it really, they sort of--"

"Jaskier." Geralt grumbled. "Let it out."

"A spy," Jaskier whispered hurriedly, looking around them to see if anyone could be listening elsewhere in the building. Yennefer held up a single hand and Jaskier watched, eyes wide, as static sparked from her fingertips. It grew muted around them as her silencing charm took hold. 

"I was...recruited," he said quietly, even with her magic surrounding them. "They were watching the bards, the routes we were planning on taking and those of us with promise were asked to...sing in certain courts."

"And you did." Geralt realized it before Yennefer. 

"Yes. Well, on the condition that my missions would also help to hopefully unravel some of the slave networks."

"Jaskier..." Yennefer felt her heart go soft again. He was still such the boisterous eleven year old who had tumbled down from the hayloft only to laugh when she was worried. Her fool. 

"Don't give me that look." Jaskier's cross expression reminded her of how easily she had nearly eviscerated his Witcher earlier in the day. Perhaps he had a point. 

"I was sold to a witch and brought to Aretuza." 

Jaskier sat up straight at her words, watching her carefully but not saying anything. Yennefer was grateful. There was nothing to say.

"It...is what it is," she said firmly. "It's in the past. So is the barn."

Jaskier bit his lip, unsure of what to say next and Yennefer saw where she had erred. She reached out a hand and placed it over his own, twisted together as they were in his anxiousness.

"I have never been so pleased or worried to see someone again in my life," Yennefer told him honestly. "The only time I had ever thought about going back to that place was to gain some item of yours in order to perform a location spell."

Jaskier's eyes fell again but the smile on his face told her that he was taken aback by the kindness of her comments. It was large and but somehow still bashful. She had missed it. 

He laughed and shrugged at her. "To my knowledge, my parents destroyed my things when they disowned me. I'm not sure that there would have been anything left for you to find."

"If I had gone back and seen that, then I would have still found you by using their bodies as a guide," Yennefer said icily, in a way that suggested Jaskier's parents wouldn't have been willing or perhaps even alive while this was being done.

"I thought I was dreaming when I woke up here." Jaskier swallowed back another round of tears. "I can't believe it's you."

"With all the Chaos I poured into you just to keep you alive, you might have been. And you still need rest. Witcher, I'll have someone send you up some food." She stood from her chair by his bedside and before leaving the room, she leaned down to kiss his forehead. "Get some sleep."

  
••••••••••••••••••• 

  
"You take care of him," Yennefer ordered. She could hear Jaskier's laughter behind her but that only made her lean into her threatening stance a little more. She chanced a glance back at him, whole and healthy after a week of eating nearly everything in sight. Now he sat atop a horse Yennefer had charmed from a nobleman who needed it less than her Julek.

Geralt grumbled. He hadn't yet mounted Roach yet but Yennefer noticed there were more bags off of her saddle than Jaskier's horse. It was a start.

"I need a verbal agreement, Witcher."

"Yennefer--"

She held up a hand and he didn't go further. "Jaskier, please. This is between Geralt and I."

"I'll watch out for the bard," Geralt promised through gritted teeth. 

"Close enough." Yennefer knew the grin on her face was as menacing as she could manage, perhaps even a little manic. But with a lock of Julek's hair now, freely given, a promise to meet him for the Saovine festival, and a pliable Witcher, she would not lose him again.


End file.
